It takes a second take to see that the dreamy, pastel-hued images of the new Bundanon Bridge – shot by photographer Rory Gardiner on behalf of Kerstin Thompson Architects – aren’t simply the computer-generated renderings of some impossibly beautiful, architecturally imaginative project designed to sell the place but genuine pictures of a genuine place. The Bundanon property, located in Illaroo, Australia, was gifted to the Australian people in 1993 by owners Arthur and Yvonne Boyd, who clearly thought the site and its 1,000 hectares of dense bush overlooking the Shoalhaven River, should be available for all to enjoy.

The project, recently completed by Kerstin Thompson Architects, comprises two new buildings. The first is an art museum, which sits embedded in the landscape, above the steep gully below. The second is the majestic bridge that runs 160 meters long suspended over the gully. The Bridge was designed to minimize the impact from flooding, which has hit the area hard in recent years, and features a Creative Learning Center with accommodation. With the entire site also endangered by bushfires, the project is both a comment on the impact of climate change and a demonstration of the need to build with an uncertain environmental future in mind. The Bundanon estate sits on the land of the Wodi Wodi and Yuin peoples, with the museum dedicated to the site’s history, including that of its indigenous people. A must-visit for anybody with a bucket list that involves breathtakingly beautiful art museums…

Photography © Rory Gardiner